After the last three disappointing election cycles for Democrats in the 1st Congressional District, with Republican Andy Harris winning decisively against Frank Kratovil in 2010, John LaFerla in 2012, and Bill Tilghman in 2014, one would think it might be hard for the party to attract yet another contender willing to go against the rock solid Harris machine this time around.
That was before the former two-term mayor of Salisbury, Jim Ireton, decided it was his turn to win back the Eastern Shore’s seat in Congress for Democrats and perhaps just a few turned-off Republicans.
While Ireton has spent most of his professional life as a public school reading specialist for elementary grade children, there is little doubt that his twelve years in the rough and tumble world of Lower Shore politics, first on Salisbury’s City Council, and later as its Mayor, is the part of his resume that makes Ireton believe his can take on Dr. Harris.
In his first Spy interview, Ireton summarizes his motivation for running, his track record as a tough and sometimes controversial mayor of a city of close to 35,000 residents, and most importantly, how he plans to beat Harris in November.
This video is approximately nine minutes in length